


Still In This Together

by EchoedDream



Series: ITT [2]
Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-05-20 15:37:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6014431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EchoedDream/pseuds/EchoedDream
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Again Lou is Tony in this one, he was not yet named when I began the original fic. Sequel to In This Together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Lindsey Willows couldn't believe that her mom was engaged. She thought it would never happen, her mom getting remarried. Lindsey knew she was bouncing as she stood with her mom's co-workers waiting for her mom to arrive, she couldn't help it. She was excited. She liked Tony and knew that he made her mom very happy.

Lindsey had driven Tony's car to the airport to help out with the unloading of Tony's daughter Maddison's stuff. She glanced at the people around her. She had grown up with this group. They knew her well. She watched and made a mental guess on who would call her out on the bouncing.

"Linds, you haven't stopped bouncing since you arrived. If I didn't know better I'd think you missed your mom. What's up?" Lindsey heard Nick ask as he came to stand beside her in front of Tony's car.

"Oh just getting ready, that's all."

Catherine's plane was now taxiing towards them. If anything, Lindsey got more excited. She was sure if her mom could see her she'd be laughing. Lindsey took a step forward as the stairs were brought down. As soon as she saw Catherine in the doorway she took off in a run toward her.

Catherine thankfully reached the ground safely before the full weight of her daughter made total contact with her. "Missed you too, Linds," Catherine laughed as she looped her arms around Lindsey's waist.

"Oh my god, Mom, congratulations," Lindsey whispered in her mom's ear.

"Thanks sweetie. I'm glad you're here to help." Catherine turned away from her daughter and focused on her team. Everyone except Ray was there and they all had a department issued vehicle. Catherine noticed Tony's car front and center. She was shocked when she realized it could only have been driven by Lindsey. "Thanks for coming guys. I really appreciate the help."

"Well Sara did say something about overtime pay." Greg shouted out.

"Yes Greg, you are getting paid for this. Now the faster we get started the sooner we can get to work."

"Hey now boss, you said nothing about having to work too. I thought we'd get the night off," Nick called out from somewhere inside the cargo hold of the jet.

"Nice try Nicky. Work now and work later too."

It didn't take long for the team to unload all the boxes and get everything divided between the vehicles. Catherine climbed into the driver's seat of Tony's car and was shocked to have Sara climb into the passenger seat. "I saw the ring. Something you'd like to share?"

Catherine chuckled in reply. "Nice to see you too, Sara. Tony proposed on the ride to the airport. I was shocked. I still am actually. I'm also moving in with him and Maddie."

"Wait, we have more moving to do. You better be ready to fill out a lot of overtime paperwork." Sara deadpanned to her friend and superior.

"In all seriousness though Cath, congratulations. Vartann is one lucky guy. You two are perfect for each other."

"Thank you Sara. This was a long time coming but I am very happy with how it all has come together. Everything is perfect." Catherine smiled at the brunette in the passenger seat before releasing a sigh of content. "Nothing could make me happier."

"Not even the news that Ray quit?"

Catherine almost ran the car onto the sidewalk at the news. "Sara, that doesn't make me happy." She paused a moment in thought. "Well maybe a little happy. What happened? Why did he quit?"

"Something about a case we got. He knew the victim or something. He didn't say much before he left. We heard from Ecklie only last night."

Catherine sighed as they pulled into the driveway of Tony's spacious house and climbed out of the car. "I'm sure I'll hear all about it tonight. Are you ready to get started?"


	2. Chapter 2

There was something about Tony's house that Catherine loved. She couldn't quite put her finger on what exactly it was but she knew the millions of photographs of Maddie all around was part of it. At the moment she was looking at one of Maddie at around three years old dressed as an angel for Halloween. They were just about finished moving the boxes into the house. The living room was a bit of a mess. The smart thing to have done would have taken everything straight upstairs to Maddie's bedroom but Catherine had only thought that a moment ago. She turned back to her team. "Thanks again for helping. I messed up a little. Why didn't anyone tell me to be smart and take everything straight upstairs?"

Nick was the first to reply. "I figured you had some sort of plan and was just following orders." Everyone else just kind of nodded their heads in agreement to his statement.

Catherine sighed, "I did have a plan. It was to take everything upstairs right away. Now it's just extra work. Grab a box. Maddie's room faces the backyard. The walls have silver and purple strips, you can't miss it." She grabbed a box and followed Greg up the steps. "Greg no tripping," she joked as Greg almost missed a step. "I'm not about to dish out hazard pay as well." It didn't take the five of them long to move everything upstairs. "The heavy lifting is finished, you are all free to leave; except you Lindsey. I'll need your help unpacking."

Greg and Nick both said their goodbyes and left to relax before shift start, which was still a good hour away. Sara held back. "I can give you a hand if you want. I'm kind of in the mood to keep busy. Plus night off, remember."

Catherine smiled and nodded, "Thanks Sar. I'll buy you breakfast in the morning. Just don't tell the boys." She opened the top box in a stack to her right and let out a chuckle. "Maddie packed this one. I wonder how she managed to get this away from Tony." She turned to Lindsey and Sara holding up the shirt he had been wearing Saturday when they left for Santa Fe. "This is his favorite shirt. It was a Christmas gift from me. Knowing Maddie, she put this in here for me." She dropped the shirt back into the box. "Most of those boxes behind you are books Sara. A little tip, any duplicates with what's on her shelf we can donate. There will probably be a lot of them. Girl loves to read."

"When do you plan to move the rest of your stuff here mom?" Lindsey asked from inside the closet where she was quickly emptying the suitcases. "Hopefully not tonight or anything stupid like that. Because I'm all for helping but that's probably slave labor or something."

Catherine let out a chuckle as she playfully tossed a teddy bear in her daughter's direction. "I'm off tonight and tomorrow night so I plan to do most of my packing tomorrow morning. The actual moving, throughout the rest of the day. I'm almost certain Tony and Maddie will be home tomorrow night."

"Does this mean I get to live with Grandma?" Lindsey asked as she broke down the two boxes she had just loaded into what free space there was in the dresser. "I mean, it doesn't bother me."

Catherine stopped what she was doing, took Lindsey's hand and led her down the stairs to the main floor towards what used to be Tony's office. "Tony and I figured that if you wanted to move in here too you could turn this into your bedroom. It's sort of separated from the main living area. It is completely up to you though Linds." The room was mostly cleared out with only a desk, chair and a couple of bookcases.

"It's bigger than my room now. It definitely has potential. I'll take it." Hearing her daughter agree to move with her made Catherine want to cry. Instead she pulled her daughter into a long hug. "Mom, it is just a bedroom. Let's go finish unpacking and we can go grab a late dinner. My treat."


	3. Chapter 3

The midday sun was peeking through the partially open curtains as Maddie slowly willed herself to open her eyes. The excitement of the last few days had finally caught up with her. She had slept from not too long after Catherine's departure until this moment. She could hear her dad moving around in the other room, but still she couldn't bring herself to open her eyes; she was comfortable but still really tired. Maddie rolled over and instantly her arm began to hurt. "Dad!" she called out and instantly Tony appeared in the open doorway.

"Afternoon kiddo. I was starting to get worried that you'd sleep the whole day away." Tony moved fully into the room and sat on the bed next to his daughter. "How's the arm?"

"It hurts, but I think it was because I was laying on it all night." Maddie stretched and slowly climbed out from under the covers. "So are we going to school?" she asked her dad.

Tony had decided last night that the two of them would head home on an early evening flight. He knew that he had a lot of things to accomplish in a short time. He probably should have woken Maddie up earlier but he decided her need for sleep was more important. Tony had already called Maddie's school and made arrangements to meet at the end of school hours. "We are." Tony answered his daughter. "But not for another couple of hours. I was thinking we could go out to eat and then have some quality father/daughter time together."

Maddie pretended to think about the plan for a minute before she nodded her head and smiled at her dad. "I like that idea." She looked down at the blanket and slowly began to pick at it. "Dad, what's going to happen to mom?"

"She's in a whole lot of trouble Mads. She'll most likely get some jail time." Tony looked at Maddie and decided to be completely honest with her about her mother. "She's going to lose custody rights of you completely. She wants to terminate her parental rights as well. She no longer wants to be part of your life."

Maddie could feel the tears stinging her eyes but she brushed them away quickly. She refused to cry over a woman who no longer loved her. "Catherine's always been more like a mom to me than she ever has, even before you two started dating. I'm really happy that you two are getting married. You complete each other."

"Thank you sweetheart. You have no idea what it means to me to hear you say that. And the part about Catherine, it's true and I'm sure she'll be honored to hear that you feel that way." Tony patted her knee before he pulled her into his arms. The young girl instantly returned the hug. "I love you so much Mads." Tony said to his daughter.

"Love you too dad." Maddie savored the moment of the hug for a few extra minutes. "I should get dressed so we can go eat. I'll just be a few minutes."

While Maddie got ready, Tony took a few moments to send a couple of texts. He sent one to Catherine telling her they'd be home late that night. And that they both missed her. To Brass he sent one that he'd be home tonight and back to work for his next shift in three days. He was texting his step-mom when Maddie emerged from the bathroom ready to go. "One minute kiddo, I'm just texting Grandma Nan." That was what Maddie called his step-mom to distinguish between her and Tony's mom

"I can't wait to see her and grandpa again. I've really missed them. Can we go to Pascqual's again?"

Tony smirked and then chuckled. "Today is all about you; if that's where you want to go, that is where we will go."

A late lunch was what the pair truly needed and thankfully they managed to finish eating in time to head to Maddie's school. "Alright Mads, lead the way. We need to go to the main office to meet with the Principal." Tony had only been to the school twice before both times at the beginning of the school year. He wasn't familiar with the layout, so he let Maddie take the lead. Maddie lead them through the main doors and down a short hallway to the office.

Maddie stopped in front of a pair of women and turned to Tony. "Dad this is Mrs. Kalagis, my English teacher and Ms. Westin who teaches Latin. This is my dad Tony." Tony shook both women's hands before turning his attention to the man that had just entered the room. He remembered enough to know that this was the principal but couldn't remember a name.

"Hello Mr. Vartann, I'm glad you could make it in today. Hello Maddison, how are you and how's the arm?"

Maddie smiled, "It's fractured but otherwise I'm fine Mr. Donavan."

Mr. Donovan returned the smile as he reached forward to shake Tony's hand. "I'm glad to hear that. How about we step into my office and talk about what's happening?"


	4. Chapter 4

The air inside Mr. Donovan's office always had a scent of lilacs to it. It was one of Maddie's favourite things about the room. Maddie sat on the couch with Tony while Mr. Donovan pulled a chair around to face them. She could see that her file folder was already laid out on the small table between them. "I'm sorry to hear that you are leaving us Maddison but I'm glad to hear you'll be going back home and will be surrounded by a solid support system. I believe that you need that at this time." Maddie watched him pull out a couple of forms from her folder and hand one to her. "If you could fill this form out while your dad and I go over everything for your school transfer that would be appreciated." He grabbed a pen and handed it to her with a slight grin. "I promise it is not complicated." He paused for a moment before turning his attention to Tony. "The first thing I need from you is your current address."

"68 Crescent Palm Court in Henderson, Nevada." Tony rattled off the address automatically. He followed that with the zip code. Maddie looked up as Mr. Donovan jotted down the information. She was almost done filling out her own form and found it funny that they were still on the first part.

"I know from your daughter that you are a Detective in Las Vegas. That hasn't changed has it?" Tony shook his head in reply. "What school will she be attending in Henderson?"

Tony dug out the now crumpled napkin from his pocket and held it up. "I didn't have paper when I learned which school it was. I'm usually more organized than this." Maddie snickered beside him. "She'll be going to Mannion Middle School. Actually the official name is Jack & Terry Mannion Middle School and its address is 155 E Paradise Hills Dr. I'm ashamed to say that's all the information I have. My fiancée was the one to find that information for me just yesterday. We've been a little rushed all things considered."

"That's completely understandable. Don't worry our office assistant can find out anything else that is needed. I'll just go give her this form so she can get started. I'm assuming you'll be enrolling Maddison in her new school within the week." At Tony's nod of a reply Mr. Donovan left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Maddie put down her now completed form and sat back on the couch. "That's my school file. You can look at it if you'd like. That's why it is sitting here. We'll take that with us."

Tony reached for the file and opened it in his lap. "Anything in here that will shock me, Mads?" He was kidding of course, he knew that his daughter was an exceptional student. She never received a grade below a B in her entire school run. He glanced at the first page and was a little surprised to see Catherine's name pop out at him. He turned to Maddie and raised his eyebrows in question.

"I asked her if I could list her as a secondary emergency contact because sometimes you are hard to reach. I cleared it with the school and she was more than happy to do it. I guess she never told you that huh." Maddie wasn't all that surprised that Catherine hadn't told him about it. It was big thing sure, but it wasn't a big deal.

"No, she never told me." He placed that sheet of paper down on the table and focused on the next one. It was a summary of her social interactions and activities. To Tony it was mainly just a lot of words on paper. He scanned through it and decided that Maddie had many friends at school and was very active in sports and clubs. "This makes you sound like the energizer bunny kiddo." Beside him Maddie just groaned in reply. That page followed the path of the first. Tony examined the next page carefully and he swore he felt Maddie cringe beside him. "You were seeing the counsellor on a weekly basis over the last three months. Maddison, it says here that they had a professional therapist sit in on most of your recent sessions." Tony felt a little sick, knowing that it was mostly Danielle's fault. He needed to be sure. "Honey, what exactly have I been missing? I know that you've been spending all your weekends at friends' places. Clara told me that. Is everything okay? Are you okay?" Maddie just shrugged her shoulders and averted her eyes. "Maddison Louise, talk to me."

"I spent a lot of weekends with my friends because it was safer than going home sometimes. I usually stayed at Sara's place because her parents adore me and they consider me a member of their family. It wasn't mom who would send me there. I did it all on my own. Not that she noticed I was gone anyway. She was usually too busy getting drunk or high on whatever the drug of the week was with whatever boyfriend she was with at the time." Maddie paused to collect her thoughts. "During the week she somewhat tried to be good. She always made sure I had my homework done. Little things really. When she started dating Kevin things improved for a while. Nothing happened until this incident. I really liked Kevin and I wanted him to stay with mom. She never drank or did any drugs. He was actually a positive influence. I came home from school Friday and they were fighting. He wanted to end things with her and she started to blame me saying I was pushing him away and trying to make her life hell. And well you know what happened next. But I never told them any of this. That wasn't the reason for my weekly sessions."

Tony didn't know what to say or do. Anger boiled up inside of him. He needed to stay as calm as he could for the time being. He planned to pay his ex-wife another visit that was certain. "Why didn't you call? I would have been here and I could have taken you home a lot sooner. You were suffering and I could have prevented that. This is actually my fault. I'm sorry Mads."

"It is not your fault Dad." Maddie was about to say more when the door opened and Mr. Donovan entered.

"Sorry about that, I got tied up with a couple of teacher complaints. I'm happy to report that Maddie is all set up to start at her new school. You'll of course still have to go in and fill out any paperwork required. But she's listed as a student. All the technical stuff is completed. Only thing left is to say your goodbyes." He returned to his seat as he spoke.

"That is an excellent idea. Mads why you don't go say goodbye to your teachers. I'd like to talk to Mr. Donovan for a few minutes." At Maddie's look he continued, "Humor me kiddo. I just want to know more about what's in your file. I promise you won't be in trouble for anything I learn. Remember, none of this is your fault." Maddie reluctantly got up from her spot and made her way out of the office toward the teacher's lounge. Once the door closed behind her Tony let out a frustrated growl. "I feel like a failure of a father." He held up the now closed file before continuing, "I didn't even know about the counsellor or the therapist or any of it."

"Don't beat yourself up over it. I've learned many things in my years in education. One of the big ones is kids hide a lot of things. They bottle things up. They block things out. They ignore things. You name it, kids will do it at some point before adulthood. I'll be honest with you Tony, it is ok that I call you that right? Okay good. I have monitored Maddison closely the last few months and not once did she seem to be struggling in any way. Not academically, not socially. She was always very happy and outgoing while she was here. If I had noticed even a slight change be assured that I would have contacted both you and the proper authorities. Your daughter is very good at masking her emotions when she needs to. I know she was referred to Mrs. Elliott, our counsellor when her participation in class began to suffer. According to many of her teachers she became withdrawn, but still maintained her grades. She just had a lower participation level than what was her norm. I reviewed some of her early sessions with both Mrs. Elliott and her teachers and nothing worrisome jumped out at any of us. A couple of times she mentioned problems at home. Mostly that her mom was between jobs or that she had a new man in the house. I think there is a summary report, cliff notes if you will, of what was discussed. It should be the next page in the file."

Tony opened the file, removed the page he had already skimmed over and focused his attention on the new page. True to what he had just heard from the man sitting across from him, there was no mention of neglect by Danielle. It almost appeared to praise his ex, but Tony knew how to read between the lines. "This is the start of a cry for help. I've seen it in some of my past cases. Also I know my daughter and it's what she doesn't say that is concerning. She may be able to mask her emotions; I'm ashamed to say she gets that from me, but ninety percent of the time her body language gives her away. But there is no mention of that in the report. I'm not placing any kind of blame on you or your staff. Not in the slightest, I can clearly see here that you have done everything to help her based on the information she shared. I thank you for that." Tony flipped to the final paper, a smile gracing his face for the first time since he'd sat down. "My little walking encyclopedia of all things academic. She probably doesn't get that from me." Her grades were all As and Bs. Although most of her teachers had little notes relating to her participation in class and being withdrawn. Suggestions of counselling was mention frequently. "I'm proud of Mads for holding it all together. Is there anything else I should know or that we need to discuss? I have a feeling she's outside the door getting restless."

"I believe we have covered all the important subjects. I can see that you are wanting to get out of here so I won't keep you." Mr. Donovan stood as did Tony. The pair shook hands before moving to the door and exiting the office. "Maddison, I wish you luck and great success at your new school. You will be a great asset to them I'm sure. It was a pleasure having you here at Santa Fe Prep and we will all miss you."

"Thanks Mr. D."


	5. Chapter #5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catherine packs for the move

Catherine groaned as she sat back on her bed and surveyed the mess that was her bedroom. She had boxes and stuff everywhere. It looked worse than damage left behind by a hurricane. She wasn’t getting much done. She had returned home after having breakfast with Sara as promised and had been holed up here ever since. “I have too much stuff.”

“You can say that again sweetheart.” Catherine looked up at her mother standing in the open doorway. She held a couple of boxes and a handful of garbage bags. Behind her was Lindsey with a few more boxes and garbage bags. “Linds and I are here to help. We’ll do the whole keep/toss/donate routine. That should make things easier.”

Catherine groaned again at the idea of how long this would take. “Easier sure but longer, definitely longer.” She laughed slightly at the look Lindsey sent her way. “No, you are right mom. I need to purge and there is no better time to do it than right now. Let’s get started.” She turned to sit fully on the bed and picked at a pile of clothes beside her.. She knew she wouldn’t be able to make the decision for most of her wardrobe herself so she just held up the first thing from the pile on her lap.

Lindsey cringed and jokingly shielded her eyes before grabbing the offending shirt from her mother’s hand. “God mom, that looks like something from the 1920s.  Where were you hiding that monstrosity?”

Lily laughed, “You gave that to your mom for Christmas when you were six.” She turned to Catherine. “Does it even fit you?” She took the shirt and tossed it into the donate box. “Someone else can now experience the lovely twenties.” She grabbed the next item, a grey cardigan, before Catherine could. “This is mine.” She turned and threw it into the hallway. “Thief.” Catherine could do nothing but stare at her mother in slight surprise. 

“Mom, you seriously really do have too much stuff. I think we should focus solely on whether you want something as opposed to whether to donate or toss it. We can sort that after the packing is completed. And we should use the five second rule. Five seconds to decide if you want to keep something. Very simple.”

Catherine looked at her daughter a second before she focused on the clothes on the bed. “Five seconds. Really Linds, that’s not enough time.”

“That is more than enough time. A person knows within the first three seconds of seeing something whether or not they like it. That is what we are doing. Ask yourself ‘do I like it?’ for each item. Trust me, you’ll find it so easy very quickly.” Lindsey pulled her mom to her feet and dropped an empty box at her feet. “Ignore everything and just focus on the item in your hand.”

Catherine sighed but picked up a pink shirt and studied it quickly before she dropped it into the box at her feet. She quickly picked up another shirt, this one blue and very similar to the last, and immediately dropped in into the box. “You're right this is easy. Why didn't I think of doing it this way before?”  Catherine picked up another shirt and immediately dropped it into the box, she wasn't even thinking about it now she was just on autopilot. It didn't take long for the three of them to sort through all the clothes on the bed. Catherine had a very small pile for keep and she had managed to fill three and a half boxes of clothes to toss. Lindsey took the boxes that were full and dragged them out into the hallway out of sight.

Lily folded the flaps on the last box now labeled keep/bedroom and placed in on top of the three other boxes of clothes. “There, now that is all your clothes sorted and packed up. Let's move on to the rest.”

The trio used the same sorting system for the rest of the room and Catherine was shocked to realize she only added 2 more boxes to the pile she was taking with her. She would be able to move her stuff in a single trip. “Six boxes mom, not too shabby.”


End file.
